


The Egyptian Revenge

by AceandShadow



Series: The Egyptian Story [2]
Category: Ancient Egyptian Religion
Genre: Abandonment, Anger, Character Death, F/M, Historical, Historical Accuracy, Historical References, Jealousy, Revenge, War, envy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:47:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24572542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceandShadow/pseuds/AceandShadow
Summary: Ra's time on the throne of Egypt has come to an end and he and his wife ascended to greatness, leaving the crown to Osiris. He ruled with all his heart.Over time, Set grew jealous of his brother's fortune, believing it to be him that deserved the crown instead and he spent all his days wallowing in his misfortune until Set discovers Nephthys' greatest secret and things escalate beyond redemption
Relationships: Isis/Nephthys/Osiris/Set, Isis/Osiris, Nephthys/Set
Series: The Egyptian Story [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1777516
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	1. Disloyal

**Author's Note:**

> main tags don't actually come into play until round about halfway through Chapter 2. Chapter 1 is just establishing motives and whatnot :)

Another Sun rises over the lands of Egypt, blessing the sands with its light as it stretches over the dunes and lights up the Pyramids, their summits glinting and casting shadows over the villages below. Ra had done the people proud once more.

It had been years since Ra left the throne of Egypt and ascended to become the defender of the ever-growing kingdom, sailing his golden sun ship into the Underworld of the Duat along the River of Darkness and fighting off the monsters that festered there. Everyone knew that the sunrise was a symbol of victory for Ra and all of Egypt.

Osiris would look up from his throne to see the Sun and know that Ra was still the all-powerful God he always knew he was.

He remembered the words that Ra’s wife, Hathor, uttered to him on his day of coronation:

_“Fear not for the Ascended. Fight not for us – we will fight for you”_

Those words rang inside his head every day as he would look up to the Sun and believe that Hathor was right – Ra needed no protection for he was the shield. But, every so often, he would hear those words and think that it was he who should be the shield. Not for Ra or Hathor or anyone else Ascendant, but for his wife and his sons.

Every day, Osiris would look to Isis and smile, only to turn to his sons, their feet pattering on the floor as they chased each other around their domicile and have his smile resort to laughter.

Life had never truly been better for the Pharaoh and his family and he praised the Gods for all they had done.

If only _everyone_ felt like that, for on the other side of the village still lived his brother Set and his sister Nephthys – Set’s wife.

Anubis had long grown up since the day that Nephthys abandoned him in the reeds of the Nile and she watched from afar, seeing her son flourish into the child she could never truly call her own. She had thought that she had been discrete about her yearning – that Set wouldn’t notice her dim glow as she grew depressed.

Yet, she could not have been more wrong. Set was already on the warpath, for he believed himself to be more worthy of the throne to Egypt than Osiris, and so he wasn’t in the mood for any quarter where Nephthys was concerned. Set would rage every night after sunset knowing that Osiris was living the life he only dreamed of, and Nephthys was growing more and more anxious by the day as he would inevitably approach her about her love for Anubis.

That day came sooner than she had hoped.

It was one dull morning that the sun had risen amongst the clouds that she heard Set enter their domicile, his footsteps angry.

“Isis’ new son – Anubis. What is so special about him? Why do you look at him with such content? You have never looked upon Horus with such a gaze…” he said, his patience already thin.

Nephthys gulped – the guilty action. “I can sense something in him – a powerful future,” she lied, averting her eyes to her reading scroll so as not to make eye contact with Set. She knew that would be her downfall.

Set folded his arms. “Look at me when I’m talking to you!” he demanded, and it shook Nephthys to her core. She froze on their sofa. “There’s something you’re not telling me, isn’t there?”

Silence filled the room. Set’s tension was so thick, no one need a knife to cut it.

“What have I said about _lies_ , Nephthys? They are the devil’s secret – we do not have them. I have been nothing but honest to you for years and yet, here you sit, keeping something from me… _scheming…_ ”

“I wouldn’t…!” Nephthys cried in an attempt to sway Set. “You must understand that I would never keep something from you to hurt you! I am protecting you…”

“ _’protecting me?!’_ Oh, dearest Nephthys, you fool. I do not need protecting from anything except from your scheming ways. Now, what is so special about Anubis that you cannot keep your eyes off him? Why do you glow when he looks at you-” Set paused abruptly, realising what Nephthys was keeping from him. His face turned to shock as he waited for the words to come from the horse’s mouth.

Nephthys’ voice trembled as she mustered only a whisper, but Set could work out exactly what she said.

_“He is my son…”_

Suddenly, his mind reeled a thousand miles a minute as a million questions flooded his head and he stood perfectly still – not a single inch of him even twitched.

“Seth…?”

He shot a stare at Nephthys – one so powerful that she was taken aback by its power as it entered her soul, not as innocent as she believed to be.

“Seth…I-”

“No. No more. I must leave. I must find our brother…” and with that, he abandoned Nephthys where she stood and stormed out of the room, making headway directly to where Osiris and Isis spend their afternoons everyday:

The Dunes of Giza – only a mere mile out from the Great Pyramids.

Osiris and Isis sat atop the dunes in the light of the Sun as a young Horus and Anubis played in the sands. Anubis was much smaller than Horus and so enjoyed riding on his back, while it made Horus feel big and strong – like his father – carrying him around.

Set approached the family from behind as he mounted the dune, lightly tapping Osiris’ shoulder.

“Little brother!” he exclaimed. “What brings you by on this fabulous day?”

Set was still steaming over his previous engagement with Nephthys, but he needn’t alarm Isis that anything was amiss for he could not bear witness to her dismay.

He took a moment before responding. “I wish to speak with you… Privately.”

Osiris noted Set’s clear discomfort and gestured to Isis that he would not disappear for long and left a light kiss on her cheek. She turned to wave at her brothers and Set gave a swift, curt wave of his hand so as not to concern her.

Upon descending the dune, Set let out an exasperated sigh as Osiris placed himself next to him, hands on his hips and taking in the fresh Egyptian air.

“What troubles you, brother?”

Set wasted no time in telling Osiris of his discoveries. “Anubis is your child, isn’t he?”

“Yes, of course! But this is not what bothers you, is it?”

“He is not Isis’.”

Osiris was in disbelief. “I do not understand what you mean – of course he is!”

Set shook his head and Osiris sat on the sands, unsure of what it is he should say. “He is but Nephthys’ child, Osiris, which brings me to my next point…” Set paused as Osiris watched on, seeing Set’s expression turn from concern to anger – vengeance-driven anger. “ _You_ bore unto _my_ wife… A _child?!_ ”

Osiris shot up onto his feet in shock. “How dare you, brother! I would never commit such an act. I will remain faithful to our Isis for a millennia ten-fold and you know it!”

“Then explain to me, _brother_ , how my wife got pregnant with _your_ son, because I’m afraid I’m at a loss for any other explanation.”

Outraged by Set’s accusations, Osiris stepped closer and closer to him until he was but inches away from his face, feeling Set’s hot breath against his own. Set did not move. “How dare you accuse me of such a disgraceful, unlawful act. I am faithful and loyal – nothing more. Nothing less. Have you forgotten where you stand, little brother? I do not answer to you and you do not question me. You believe in me. I did not bear a child with our dearest Nephthys. She must be disillusioned for this child – our Anubis – belongs to Isis and myself. See to it that Nephthys is well – find her some help. She cannot go around throwing accusations like this. And you, as foolish as you are, should not have come to me with such rage.” He remained calm and collected all the while staring directly into the eyes of his brother.

Those eyes soon turned into vile daggers as Set became further angered.

“The power has gone to your head, brother. You do not see with your own eyes anymore. You only see what the crown wants you to see. I had hoped it would never come to this, Osiris, but… You are not _my_ Pharaoh! And soon, you will not be anyone Pharaoh – such a pity…”

With that, shaking his head disapprovingly, Set trundled off away from Osiris, his strides long and angry, but he did not return home to Nephthys.

At least, not at first.


	2. Distrust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set has been gone for days and it has done Nephthys no good as she spent her worrying days alongside Osiris and his family, watching the son she could never have. Much to their surprise, Set reappears almost remade, changing his attitude, and convinces Osiris that he is sorry, showing him a gift he thinks suits him well...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a wee bit longer than normal...

He spent a few days to himself, plotting and scheming, but there was still something nagging at him from the inside.

It wasn’t what he was going to do to his own brother, but more how he would be impacting Isis.

Set believed she had done nothing wrong. She was faithful to Osiris, even when he wasn’t in return, and she did good to their children – even if one of them wasn’t hers. Horus had grown to be an admirable young man and Set could see it. Isis had taken Anubis under her wing and treated him as if he were her own and Set couldn’t fault her for that. She was a truly fantastic sister and a mother of whole if not more.

By doing his deeds and punishing Osiris, a part of him began to believe that he was sentencing Isis to the same torment. The only thing that didn’t completely stop him in his tracks was the thought that he would inevitably free Isis from a life with a liar, although how soon she would come to see such a gesture was unknown even to the Gods.

Set would plot until the moon was full in half-month before he would return home to Nephthys, who by now had grown weary of waiting for him and had gone to seek comfort from their siblings.

The nights were cold alone in Nephthys’ house and she long wished she’d never had Anubis. She long wished she had never abandoned him in the Nile for she believed him to be the God’s devil for tearing her and her husband apart. How could she have been so foolish – so blind?

She’d had enough. She spent two days in the light of Osiris and Isis.

She couldn’t bear to look at Anubis for she feared that her secrets would do more than tear apart the relationship between her and Set but tear apart the relationship of Osiris and Isis – Egypt’s royal couple. She couldn’t bear the burden all because her lust outweighed her loyalty. She couldn’t handle the pressure and guilt of what she had done.

“I worry about Set,” Nephthys said to break the silence. “He has become…angry.”

“We all worry about Set, dearest Nephthys,” replied Osiris, his tone solemn. “But I am sure he will be just fine. He is a fine young man.”

Nephthys could detect a slight tone in Osiris’ voice that indicated her knew of something that could destroy him. He was displeased by her presence, but she knew he would never turn her away – not even if the sands would flee.

Isis came in from another room.

“You look like war has descended upon you, dear Nephthys. What troubles you?”

Nephthys looked into Isis’ eyes and saw the innocent shield that lay over them, blinding her to their deeds. She knew, now, that her desire should not have brought Osiris’ integrity into question and how she hated herself for being so barbaric and taking from Isis what she held most dear. Yet she couldn’t put her out of her misery. She just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“Much, dear Isis. Much…” her voice trailed off as she began drinking her sustenance, still trying to hide her guilt, but that was becoming increasingly difficult with Anubis sat on Isis’ lap – the lap of whom he believed was his mother. _So painful_. “I’ve no word from Seth in a few days, now. I believe he has rid me of his mind and body.”

“Don’t be absurd!” Isis exclaimed. “Set has always loved you. I see no reason why a simple disagreement between him and Osiris would change that!”

Nephthys looked to Osiris as he blushed to himself. He had not yet told Isis what their argument was about. Only that he believed Set to be somewhat deranged in his accusations and that he had given him a warning on the hand of the Pharaoh.

“I won’t let him undermine any of us, dear sisters, do you understand? He cannot come to me with his strange beliefs and attack my family. Not without consequence.” Osiris paused and sighed. “It’s just, what must I do to make him see that I don’t view him as an enemy? I wish not to hurt him – he is our brother.”

Isis placed a hand on his shoulder, massaging her thumb into the creases of his neck, his skin coarse beneath her fingers. He held her hand against his shoulder, treasuring its touch.

The silence was broken by Set appearing in the doorway of their main room, dusty and cold. The nights had been unforgiving towards him and he shivered, yet he did not look even slightly bothered.

“Suetekh!” Nephthys exclaimed. “Where have you been?” She immediately rose from where she was sitting and rushed to squeeze her husband. To her surprise, he reciprocated, squeezing just as tightly.

“By Ptah’s creation, brother, we have been worried for you!” Osiris declared as Set looked up from Nephthys.

“I have been thinking. I needed the time to cool off and think about what truly matters,” Set explained as he looked directly into Nephthys’ eyes. She was blinded by the light in them – she could not see what was so gravely wrong. “You need not worry for me, brother – I am fine and always will be.”

Osiris allowed himself a slight smile as he relaxed his shoulders. “I will always worry for you, Seth. You are my brother and you shall be treated as such.”

Set’s tone changed to become sincere… _Too sincere…_

“Osiris, I would like you to accept my sincerest apologies for the way I acted out earlier this week. I was wrong and I should not have approached you in such a manner.”

It was then that Nephthys worked out that something was amiss. Set got angry very often, but he had never admitted to being in the wrong on any occasion. Perhaps he had changed – that the time spent alone had reconditioned his mind to open up to more possibilities.

He had stepped into this domicile anew.

Set continued. “As a token of my sorrow and my appreciation for what you have done for these lands, I have stumbled upon a gift for you. I wish for you to see it with your own eyes; however it was too large to bring along with me. Will you accompany me to this treasure?”

Osiris thought for a moment, looking between his sisters and Set. He was unsure of Set’s newfound attitude and wondered if he was after something he wouldn’t yet admit. Nonetheless, he thought he should give him the benefit of the doubt and agreed to following Set to his treasure.

They walked the sands in silence, neither of them feeling the need to speak. This made Osiris feel warm inside for it was the comfortable silences that he valued the most – knowing that his own brother felt no need to speak his place made him feel as though a true family bond was growing.

Set, however, felt different. He was still plotting and scheming, coming up with as many contingency plans as he could to make sure that his plan for Osiris was fool proof and that he would not get away from him.

They passed by one small Pyramid, lone since forgotten and Set paused a couple of feet away from its base, turning to Osiris and smiling.

“A Pyramid, Set?” Osiris questioned, trying not to sound confused or disappointed.

“Yes, brother. But it is not the Pyramid itself I wish for you to see. It is what I found inside it,” and Set lifted a few of the stones from the base of the Pyramid to reveal a golden coffin and looked pleased with himself.

“Suetekh! What have you created, here?” Osiris exclaimed, stunned by the coffin’s golden glow in the moonlight.

“I saw this and thought of you. I wonder if this could be used for your funeral, should the time come…”

Osiris pondered for a moment, studying the coffin and looking it up and down, feeling its sturdiness. “Is it big enough, I wonder?”

“Perhaps you should give it a try?”

“No. A coffin should be kept until the right time.”

Set did not like this response and clenched his jaw and suggested again – this time, his tone was more assertive. “Give it a try…”

Osiris looked at Set with the most concerning look in his eye and saw him stood in anger yet again.

Without warning, Set lunged at Osiris, pushing him to the ground by the Pyramid, using his whole body as a weight. Set had Osiris’ hands pinned to the floor by his head with one hand while he unsheathed a dagger aimed at his throat.

“Suetekh!” Osiris grunted from underneath the weight of his brother. “I demand to know the meaning of this!”

Set groaned. “Dammit, brother! Always with the demands! I grow tired of seeing you revel in your glory, demanding this, demanding that, always in my face! It was supposed to be _me_ on the throne! _I_ deserve to be Pharaoh! Anubis should have been _my_ child! All you have done our whole lives is take from me and look at where it has you…”

Set’s voice became exasperated and Osiris saw an open opportunity and seized it by using his knees to kick Set off his body, getting up and pressing down on Set’s chest with his foot, looking down at his brother.

“Jealousy, Set, is a bad look on anyone – you should not sport such an emotion,” he said calmly, Set struggling to pries his foot away. “Please. Enough now.”

Looking in the sands to his left, Set could see his dagger half-buried and he reached for it. Taking no chances, he slashed at Osiris’ ankle, cutting it wide open, his blood spilling out over him and the sands. As Osiris fell to his knees, Set stabbed him in the back.

“You see, brother, jealousy is my biggest player in the grand scheme. I want you to suffer how I have always suffered in the shadow of your successes. What you feel now, I feel everyday – stabbed in the back by the people closest to me. You. Nephthys. Maybe even Isis a little bit. I will sow chaos into this world, and I shall not let you stop me.”

Osiris clutched the sands beneath his hands and looked up at the face of his brother green with envy.

When he failed to give a response other than spitting at his feet, Set yanked the knife hard out of Osiris’ back, watching as he spewed yet more blood and listened to the earth-shaking roar of pain as he collapsed on the floor, propped up only by his elbows as he tried to crawl away, putting distance between him and his brother of betrayal. He rolled onto his back to see Set kneel over him and grab his throat to pull him in, spitting in his face as he spoke.

“I wonder what Isis would think if she saw you now… And what of your children who so foolishly look up to you – their father who they would hate to see disappointed. Would _they_ be disappointed in _you,_ perhaps, to see you having fallen in such a way? You are pathetic and always have been.”

Set waited for Osiris to respond, but minutes passed as they stared at each other, Osiris’ fight fading. Osiris couldn’t prove him wrong and so he smiled in anticipation and pushed him into the ground again, this time Osiris hit his head on the golden coffin.

Blood trickled down the corner of the coffin as Osiris tried to pick himself up, only to be met by Set’s feet as he kicked Osiris’ ribs, bruising every inch of his body and laughing every time he grunted in pain.

Each rib throbbed with pain and his entire body ached as Osiris desperately tried to breathe but Set continued to laugh at his suffering – a laugh so maniacal that he would contest the God of War and Chaos.

Osiris was not willing to give up the fight – family was family and they forgive each other whatever they have done.

In the end, it would be his inevitable downfall as Set was in no mood for mercy and wasted no time in putting Osiris out of his misery.

As Osiris scrambled himself to his knees, his clothing torn and his body bleeding all over, running down every limb and muscle and Set ruthlessly grabbed him, holding his hand over his mouth and slitting his throat, muffling the gurgling that came from him as he failed to fight back.

Spluttering over the sand, Osiris’ body went limp as he looked up at Set. As Set dragged him across the floor and hauling him into the coffin, Osiris felt he should say one last thing to change the situation.

“I forgive you, Set. You are my brother.”

Set said nothing as he closed the coffin and sealed it.

He paused. The silence was the sound that would haunt him from that day forward for he chose to force the noise from his head, forcing the very silence that rang through his body.

Osiris yelled and struggled from inside the coffin, but Set could not hear the muffled cries of the Pharaoh for he was slowly cutting the coffin into a thousand pieces ready to hide what he had done. He didn’t have a plan for what he would do after the deed was done, but he didn’t care. He had done what he set out to do – rid himself of the root of his jealousy.

He kept cutting and slicing until the screaming stopped. He kept cutting and slicing until he didn’t have to force the silence anymore. He kept cutting and slicing until there was no sound but the winds upon the sands, whispering away the taunting of the blood amongst them – until there was no evidence of the crimes against Egypt that were committed in the pale moonlight of the night of the half-month full.

Set did not regret what he had done for he had done what he thought was right. It was selfish and it was crude, but in his mind, that was how he perceived the world and he was merely making his place by contributing to it.

For the first time in his life, he felt at peace by the deafening silence of his brother, now scattered across the sands of Egypt.


	3. Dishonest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Osiris doesn't return for a few days, Isis grows worried for her husband, forcing Nephthys to come clean and explain why Set was on the warpath towards the family, but she comes bearing the gift of sorrow when she finds something that Set has stolen - something more valuable than a life

It was a few long days before Isis began to worry. Neither Osiris nor Set had returned from their walk along the dunes. At first, she did not fear for she knew that, wherever he was, Osiris was in good company and was capable of handling whatever life threw at him.

But it was when Nephthys appeared before her at their domicile in pieces on the floor, struggling to speak through her tears, that Isis knew something was wrong.

Nephthys was easily emotional, but she very rarely showed it. She was almost always composed, even in the most pressuring of situations. on that day, however, it was as though the floodgates had burst and years on tension build-up had come pouring out onto their main room floor. She was strong and independent woman and to see her in the state that she appeared in felt wrong.

“Dearest Nephthys!” Isis exclaimed, letting Anubis down from her shoulder. “What has you in such a mess?!”

Still sobbing, Nephthys looked up at Isis, although she could not see clearly through her tears. Instead, she held out her hands where, encased in her palms, sat a small treasures box that she had made for Set all those years ago.

“What is it, Nephthys? I don’t understand…”

Slowly, Nephthys opened the box. Without a second glance, Isis exclaimed in shock and quickly ushered Horus and Anubis into another room and told them to stay put before returning to Nephthys frozen on the floor, still clutching the keepsake box.

The pair were in such shock by the horror they had brought before them.

Eventually, Nephthys had calmed down enough to explain why she had brought such sorrow.

“Set returned to me yesterday at high moon, but he looked rough. When I questioned him, he lashed out at me and told me to keep to myself – ‘like I always had,’ he said.” She paused and took a deep breath. “Isis. I know what it looks like and I know what you think it is. It’s true – it’s the heart of our beloved brother. Seth has killed him…” her voice trailed off again as she looked away, not bearing to look at Isis.

Yet, when she did, Isis did not appear upset. Instead, she kept her composure and asked more questions.

“Why? Why would he do this?”

Nephthys knew she could not keep quiet any longer. She _had_ to tell Isis the truth.

“I think I know why,” she began quietly. “Isis, I have not been honest with any of you…” A moment of silence rang through the room as Isis sat patiently awaiting to hear what Nephthys would keep from her for so long. “Anubis is Osiris’ child…”

“I found the sapling in the reeds of the River Nile, dearest, he could not be Osiris’ child…”

Nephthys sighed again. “I put him there…”

Isis let out a short, sharp laugh in disbelief. “If Anubis was Osiris’ child, then _you_ stole him from us?”

“No.”

“What is going on, Nephthys?”

The suspense was eating Isis from the inside out, but it was such a delicate situation made worse by only the fact that Nephthys had been so dishonest for so long. She found it difficult to admit that she could potentially be the reason for Set’s outburst because she’d spent so long hiding it all.

“Anubis is my child. Anubis is Osiris’s child.”

Isis sat unmoved.

“You had a child with my husband?” she asked plainly.

“You have to understand that Set never wanted a child where I yearned day and night to have one of my own. He would never grant me that one wish I desired and, I know now that I never should have let my lust outweigh my loyalty-”

“Did Osiris know?” Isis interrupted Nephthys’ panic speech.

“No. I made myself to look like you. I acted like you. I overheard your conversation earlier that week about wanting another and how you were unsure of it. So, I acted out. I didn’t believe it to work, at first. I hid it from everyone, but I became so guilty… I believe that Seth was always jealous of Osiris, but I fear my scheming ways have only made it worse…3”

“That explains why he did not question me when I brought Anubis home.” The pair paused for a moment to take in everything. Eventually, Isis asked Nephthys a question that shocked Nephthys. “Did you have a name for him?”

Nephthys took a while to answer. “No. Anubis is perfect,” she smiled. “I couldn’t have asked for a better person to take him in if could have made the choice.”

They both looked down at Set’s keepsake box and pondered for a while before Nephthys interrupted their thoughts.

“Set said he kept the heart for himself because it was the same as capturing him whole. He said, ‘everything Osiris was is in his heart – take it away and he is nothing.’ Isis, I believe Seth has disembodied Osiris – his remains could be in a thousand places from here to Alexandria…” Nephthys became tearful at what her husband had done.

“We’ll find him,” Isis said, resting her hand on Nephthys’ shoulder in reassurance. For the first time in years, Nephthys relaxed.

Anubis and Horus appeared one behind the other in the arch doorway of their domicile, hugging the structure and Isis noticed her boys, turning to face them. She beckoned them closer.

“Has something happened?” Horus asked, holding his younger brother’s shoulders.

Isis rubbed their heads. “Your father isn’t coming back for a while, but he wants you to know that he believes in both of you. He wants you to do one thing before he comes back, okay?”

Both boys nodded their heads in anticipation. Isis continued.

“He wants you to be strong without him, okay?”

Without hesitation, Horus got up from Isis’ lap and puffed his chest out with his hands on his hips in the middle of the room.

“Father is my hero and I will wait for him – one day, I hope to follow him and be Pharaoh, too!” he said with such confidence. He would not shy away from responsibility just as he had never done. He beamed a smile so bright that it made Nephthys feel good.

Isis looked down at Anubis who hadn’t said anything in a few days. She held his head in her hands and tilted it to look at her and she lowered her voice, smiling. “And Anubis,” she began. “Will you be strong for father?”

Anubis nodded eagerly and carefully clambered down Isis’ legs and attempted to replicate what Horus had done mere seconds before, but with his little body, he found it more difficult to balance in such a position.

“I will be at my father’s side always,” he said in a little voice. He had not much ambition, but there was time yet for the little Anubis to grow into Osiris’ shoes.

Isis looked to Nephthys as she looked on at the boys.

“Thank you,” she whispered, leaning over.

Nephthys turned to look at Isis in surprise. “For what?”

“For this.” And Isis gestured all around the room – at the boys in the middle, at herself and then at Nephthys. “Our family is a gift and we shall endure this. I will see to it that Suetekh gets the punishment he deserves for what he has done, but he will not tear us apart so easily. Osiris will be missed, without a doubt – he was my Ra as I his Hathor – but he will come back to us. Only time will tell how long it will take, but time is infinite… As is my love for him.” She paused, looking at Set’s box, before holding her hands out. “I shall take this – it will be important when the time comes, but for now, we must search high and low. Osiris’ story is not yet over.”

Isis took the box from Nephthys and placed it on Osiris’ pillow on their bed as a reminder that he is always there. On returning to the main room, she saw Nephthys had stood up and put on her scarf.

“I’m coming with you,” she asserted. “We will bring Osiris back, together, and we won’t stop until we do. I’m with you, every step of the way.”


End file.
